Dead or Alive it All Feels the Same
by Kurai Kyofu
Summary: They were on the run; just the destination was uncertain. They were trying to rebuild a country; but who where they waiting for? LelouchxCC here and there and some SuzakuxEuphy thrown in
1. Every Town Has a Pizza Hut

Okay, so this is based off the ending where Lelouch actually lives because he absorbed his father's power, even though that might have been a hoax I don't care I had an idea for a fanfic based on it so this is what you're getting. :) Please reveiw.

I do not own Code Geass

* * *

Only people who are strong enough to find death as an acceptable part of life are the ones who enjoy their time here on Earth. This simple truth was something CC had learned long ago. It was a truth she was aware Lelouch vi Britannia had learned recently.

"Right, Lelouch?" she asked as she finished her speech.

At first, the ex-world dictator only grinned. For what could he possibly say to add? Then, a thought struck him. "CC . . . What are we going to do now?"

CC sat up atop the hay stack and looked down upon the cart's driver. Her expression was one of shock. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't plan on living forever, and if I remember correctly, neither do you," Lelouch said, not bothering to take his eyes off the road.

"You could still kill me, you know. That _was_ our contract," CC pointed out.

"I have no intention on going about my immortality alone. You won't escape me that easily."

CC smiled - although Lelouch could not see - and lay back down. "Very well . . . I don't really mind. To be quite honest, I've grown almost fond of your company."

"I agree," Lelouch admitted in that emotion-less way he always spoke.

For a few minutes, there was silence. CC stared up at the sky during this time, and thought._ He's been so brave through all of this. Everything he did to make Nunnally happy, even giving her up along with all of his friends and comrades. But he's still the same dim teenager I met almost a year ago. Everything was for Nunnally, to make her happy, and he was too dumb to realize that she would be happy on her own if he had just stayed the way he was, without the power of geass and without the Black Knights. Although, had he not taken the geass power, he probably would have been killed, and either way, the same outcome would have followed. Perhaps this way, at least, Nunnally now has her sight, and Suzaku as well. Had Lelouch died, Suzaku wouldn't have been accused of Clovis's murder, and then sent to Ashford at all. Nunnally had to go through so much extra heart break as a result though, and Euphemia ended up dead. However, if I remember correctly, Suzaku met Euphemia as he was being released from the trail of Clovis's murder, and had Clovis not been murdered, Suzaku and Euphy both wouldn't have been in that exact place at that exact time and wouldn't have met. 'It is better to have loved and have lost than to never have loved' is the saying, correct? So after all of this, throughout everything, has more good come than bad? What would the world be like now had Lelouch vi Brittannia been shot that day? _

"You _do_ realize I have absolutely no idea where we're going, right?" Lelouch asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, nor do I," CC replied. "Just continue straight until you can't any more, at that point we'll go with your gut."

"_My_ gut?" Lelouch asked. "Right now, my gut is telling me that I haven't eaten since yesterday. How about yours?"

"Okay, we'll go with the moss then."

"CC, we're in the surrounded by grass feilds. There's nothing for moss to grow on," Lelouch pointed out. "I think I see a town up ahead, should we go there?"

"Brilliant idea, dead world dictators walk into random no name towns all the time. Why just the other day, I saw Hitler in a McDonalds," CC said sarcastically.

Lelouch glared up at her. "My death was broadcast on national televison, I'm sure no one will question the fact that I bear a slight resemblance to Lelouch vi Britannia."

"_Slight?"_ she repeated.

"Well, I haven't shaved in a few days," he said weakly.

"Perfect, your peach fuzz will save us."

"Arg-hey! I don't have peach fuzz! I'm a man!" Lelouch insisted.

"Whatever gets you to sleep at night," CC said as she rolled over onto her side. "Where's the nearest Pizza Hut? I'll just walk in and you can wait out with the cart. Pull your hat down or something."

"Not every town has a Pizza Hut," Lelouch muttered, but CC pretended not to hear him. At her request, he turned down the road that led to the approaching town. Sure enough, the first bulding they passed was indead, a Pizza Hut.

"Now what was that about every town?" CC asked smuggly as she hopped down from the hay stack.

"Damn you . . ." Lelouch murmured under his breath as she entered the resturante. He prayed she would order enough food to last them the next few days, and that she had been smart enough to bring money in with her.

"Hey!" someone called. Lelouch made a struggled noise and pulled his hat down lower over his eyes as he heard the sound of approaching foot steps. The same voice continued. "Have we met before?"

"Uh, I think not," Lelouch replied, trying to turn away from the boy who was talking to him.

The boy - not catching the hint - just turned with him. "Nah, you look very familiar . . . Oh! I know! Are you in any way related to the Britiannian Royal Family? You look _just_ like that crazy Lelouch guy!"

"Uhm, I don't think so," Lelouch said. "I'm from a Britannian territory though."

"Maybe that's where I know you from then, I am too! I moved to the Chinese Federation two years ago, before it got split because my dad got a job here. What territory are you from?" the boy asked.

"Gah . . ." Lelouch had to think fast. There was no way he could pick a territory this could wouldn't somehow tie him to. It was impossible, this boy just talked way too much. Lelouch couldn't think straight. "I'm from . . . Area . . . 23."

That _was_ the smallest Britannian territory after all. What were the odds this kid was from that place?

"Oh . . ." The boy sounded defeated. "I must not know you then. Sorry for wasting your time."

"N-no problem," Lelouch replied, trying harder than ever to hide his face. The boy ran off, and Lelouch sighed in releif. That damn kid was really getting annoying.

"I'm back."

Lelouch jumped at the sound of CC's voice. "Argh! Oh . . . Well that was quick."

She stood before him, holding three large pizza boxes. Then, she held out her phone. "I called in advance."

"How far in advance?" Lelouch asked.

"Fifteen minutes. Right after you decided to pull in here. Didn't you hear me on the phone?" she asked as she tossed the pizza into the back of the cart.

Lelouch helped her pull herself up on to the hay. "No, I didn't. Maybe my mind was elsewhere . . ."

"Hmm. Now let's go find a nice quiet place to eat. I think I saw a river just before we entered town, it's hidden in the grass so we don't need to worry about being found," CC said.

"Perfect," Lelouch agreed. He sat back down behind the horses and gave them the command to start walking. Following CC's instructions, he stired them down the road to a small patch of dirt. He jumped off the cart and tied the horses down to a nearby telephone pole, hoping no one would notice, or care enough to investigate. from that point, he and CC walked through the grass and to the river. CC layed out one of the blankets they had hidden in the hay on the ground and the two partners say down.

"This is nice," Lelouch said. "It's very peaceful by this river."

He bit into his peice of pizza, his stomach finally settling from the hunger that had been bothering him all day. As he scanned the perimeter of the river, his eye caught a gastly sight. "Ugh! What's that?"

He jumped to his feet and pulled CC up with him by her arm, causing her to let go of her highly anticipated pizza before she could even bite into it. "Hey! What are you doing, Lelouch!"

"Look there," Lelouch said, pointed across the river from them and over about twenty feet.

CC eyes widened. "A . . . a body?"


	2. Nightmares in Knightmares

Once again, I do not own Code Geass. Please review.

Also, I've seen "Euphie" spelt many different ways. Nunnally spells it "Euphy" on that candle thing, but it seems that everyone else spells it "Euphie" and considering Nunnally was still blind at that point, I'm going with everyone else. If anyone knows the official spelling could they please let me know?

* * *

Suzaku reached out his hand, and Euphemia took it. It was a wonderful feeling, to touch her soft skin. He never wanted to let go . . .

"Where shall we walk, my lady?" he asked her. And he wasn't calling her "my lady" because she was a princess, he was doing it just to be goofy, like any other couple. Not a Knight and a Princess, just Suzaku and Euphie.

"Wherever the wind takes us," she told him. And so they began to walk down the path that led through the woods. Whenever they would reach a turn, they would close their eyes, spin in a circle, and wherever they were when they stopped spinning would be the direction they went in.

"This is wonderful," Euphie said. She wrapped her arms around Suzaku's neck and pulled him to a halt. "Let's just stay here for a little while."

"But Euphie, it's getting dark out," Suzaku said. He looked up at the trees, they would block out most of the light and it would be hard to get back to the city.

"So we'll sleep out here, then," she said. She pulled his head down so that it was even with her own. "Promise you'll stay with me. No matter where I go. Promise you won't leave."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "I promise, Euphie. And I promise that no one will ever hurt you while I'm here."

But suddenly, he and Euphie weren't standing alone in the woods anymore. She was hundreds of feet below him in the street, standing covered in blood and holding a very large gun. He was up in the air in the Lancelot. Then out of nowhere, Zero appeared, with his gun held out to Euphemia. She smiled at him and began to speak. There was a pause, and then, he pulled back the trigger and -

"NO!"

Suzaku sat straight up in bed, cold sweat dripping from his face. He tried to take deep breaths. _Just another nightmare. Just another nightmare._

He grabbed fist fulls of his own hair and pulled. The physical pain was a temporary distraction from the pain that he was feeling in his heart.

When Euphie had died, it felt like a hole had been punched through his chest. And as time went by, that hole was just being ripped wider and wider. And as it ripped, his heart seemed to stop working. Saving people suddenly didn't matter any more; after all, it wasn't like he new them or anything. If Euphie had to die, then they should to. Everyone should. _He_ should. But thanks to Lelouch, that would be impossible, for a very, very long time at least. Dying of old age was his only hope at this point.

There came a sharp knock at his door. "Zero? Are you alright?"

It was Nunnally. She still didn't know that Suzaku was actually still alive, and posing as her brother's alter-ego. He cleared his throat and called back, "I'm fine, your highness!"

On the other side of the door, Nunnally hung her head. "Highness". How dare Suzaku call her such an evil word. She was no higher than he was. But, Suzaku didn't know that Nunnally knew he was alive, so she couldn't say anything. As far as she was supposed to know, Zero was nothing more than a common person who was supposed to see Nunnally as their superior.

She wished she could tell Suzaku that she knew he was there. That Lelouch had shown her all his memories, and she knew he wasn't evil. But it would be selfish of her to do that. Suzaku was so sick of himself, he was happy to fake his own death and be reborn as a new person. For all Nunnally knew, he had totally blocked out any memories of himself being Suzaku Kururugi. She had to play dumb, and pretend she hated her brother for what he had done and pretend that her dear friend was dead.

"You can just go back to sleep, Princess," he told her.

She giggled. "I didn't want to wake you because I feared you might have had fallen ill, but Zero, it's nearly four in the afternoon."

"What?" Suzaku jumped out of his bed and ran over to the window and pulled the curtains open. Nunnally had been right, the sun was up and the birds were singing. "How did I sleep that late?"

"Well, you were up very late last night," Nunnally called from the hallway. "Helping me plan my brother's funeral. But if you're feeling alright now, I'd like it very much if you would get dressed and join me for tea."

"Of course, Princess Nunnally." Suzaku grabbed the Zero Mask off his dresser and tried to convince himself that this was his life now. "I'll be right there."

* * *

"What should we do?" CC asked.

"What do you mean 'what should we do'?" Lelouch asked as he began to tread through the water. "Check if it's alive!"

"Brilliant plan but did you forget to take into account that you're dead and I'm missing?" she asked. He paused in the middle of the current. CC grinned smugly. "It's nice always being right."

"No, it's not that," Lelouch told her. "The body . . . It's not a body. It's Kallen."

"What?" CC exclaimed. She ran over next to him to get a closer look. "Oh this is just _perfect."_

"We can't just leave her here," Lelouch said.

"And why not?"

"Because she'll die!" Lelouch told her, as if it were the most simple explanation in the world.

"Lelouch, she hates us," CC reminded him.

"That doesn't matter, I'm not going to leave her here for dead." He continued crossing the river until he was at the other end. He approached Kallen and knelt down next to her.

_Now what?_ he thought. He checked for a pulse; it was there. She was just unconscious. _But why? What could have happened? _He began to shake her shoulders slowly.

Kallen groaned as she slowly reentered consciousness. She had been walking when suddenly tripped and bumped her head on a rock near the river.

When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to find the face of Lelouch vi Britannia staring down at her. For a moment, all she could do was blink. Then -

"JACKASS!"

Lelouch fell to the ground as Kallen's fist reached back to strike him again. She jumped to her feet and pouncedon him.

"Kallen, stop!" he told her. But it didn't work. She just continued to hit him.

"You. Are. So. DEAD. And. This. Time. You'll. Stay. That. Way!" with every word she punched him again, and each hit was harder than the last.

"I can explain!" he cried.

"I. Don't. Want. Your. Shitty. EXPLANATIONS!"

Lelouch sighed. It would probably be easier for him to just let her release her rage for a bit. And besides, it wasn't like he didn't deserve it.

Finally, after Lelouch's face was bruised and his nose was crooked and bleeding, Kallen's fists began to slow, until eventually stopping. She shook with sobs.

Lelouch pulled himself out from under her, and stood. He offered her his hand, which she slapped away.

"I don't need your help," she growled.

"Will you at least tell me why you're out here?" he asked. CC walked up next to him and stared down at Kallen.

She sighed. "I . . . I guess. If you really must know, I was out looking for Aurthur. That stupid cat ran off again last night and while I was looking for him I fell and banged my head."

"Aurthur ran off . . . to the _Chinese Federation,_" Lelouch said skeptically.

"No, dumbass," Kallen said. "I'm here with Kaguya. She wanted to visit the Empress and I was apparently the only one available to be her escort. I think the real reason is that Ohgi wanted me out of the country while all the affairs of the Black Knights were being settled, but either way . . . That dumb cat somehow got into my luggage and now I'm stuck with him for another three weeks. If I can find him that is . . ."

Lelouch nodded. "It makes sense for Ohgi to have sent you here, it's the safest place."

"Don't you dare start acting like you care about me now!" Kallen screamed at him. "Bastard!"

He sighed. This was all so difficult. It was unfortunate Suzaku couldn't have just killed him for real.

"Kallen, watch Lelouch's nose," CC said.

Lelouch and Kallen both looked at her, but CC just grabbed Lelouch's head and spun it so that it was facing Kallen.

"What the hell?" he asked, but Kallen seemed to understand.

Her mouth dropped. "H-how is that possible? I broke it, I know I did! And it just . . . healed . . . No . . ."

Lelouch held a hand to his face and realized that Kallen was right, his nose _had_ healed already. He still wasn't used to this "immortal" thing. "Now, Kallen, will you let me explain?"

She nodded her head slowly. "Does this have anything to do with how you're still alive?"

"Don't tell me you weren't wondering that before," CC said.

"I figured he had a decoy again. Like how Sayoko did while you were away from school," Kallen explained. "And I'm not the only one. There are lots of rumors going around that you're still alive."

"That's great," CC said sarcastically. "But we'll deal with that later."

"For now, I will explain myself," Lelouch told Kallen. "Firstly, you should know that you are not to tell anyone about us meeting here."

"Yeah, like they'd believe me anyway," she said coldly.

"Second, as you have probably already guessed, I am immortal now. No matter how many times people kill me, I won't die," he said.

"Then why not go back to Britannia and reclaim your role as dictator?" Kallen asked bitterly. "All hail Lelouch!"

"Because then having the new Zero stab me would have been pointless," Lelouch told her.

Kallen pulled herself to her feet and smacked him across the face. "Are you trying to tell me that you _told_ Zero to kill you? Like I'm gonna believe that crap!"

"It's the truth," Lelouch insisted. "It had to be done to bring full unity to the world, and all the countries in it."

"So you died for world peace?" Kallen asked. "Yeah right. You're not that nice."

How could Lelouch argue with that? She was right after all, wasn't she?

"You're wrong," CC said, surprising both Kallen and Lelouch. "Lelouch doesn't like to admit it, but he's actually probably one of the most kindhearted people I know. If you'll look at all of his actions closely, never once did he unnecessarily kill people. He knows the value of human life better than anyone else. He likes to pretend he doesn't have feelings or care, but let us not forget; Lelouch Lamerouge is the world's biggest liar."

"So were you lying then?" Kallen asked him. "When you said you didn't care about me?"

"I didn't care about you in the way you were asking," he replied.

"But do you care about me?" Kallen asked. "At all."

Lelouch was silent.

After a moment, Kallen exclaimed, "Why won't you just answer me already?"

"Because I've decided I won't like anymore," Lelouch told her. "And sometimes the truth is hard to say."

She punched his shoulder, hard. "Then answer this; were you lying when you said you didn't care about me. Even if you cared in a different way, would you be lying if you said you didn't care at all?"

Lelouch sighed. "Yes, that would be a lie."

Kallen swung her leg up in the air and kicked him in the gut. "Jackass."

"What was that for?" Lelouch asked, doubled over.

"For lying to everyone. Now I'm not saying I believe you about faking your own death, but say that were true. What are you going to do now?" she asked.

"We're searching for away to become mortal and die," CC told her.

Kallen's eyes widened. "You_ want_ to die?"

"What's the point of living if you just go on forever?" CC asked. "Yes, we want to die."

"Does anyone else know about this?" Kallen asked.

"Nunnally might," Lelouch told her. "I'm not sure. I showed her my memories, I just don't know which ones she saw. It's impossible to control things like that."

"This is insane," Kallen said. "Maybe I bumped my head harder than I thought . . ."


	3. The Place Where Euphy Is

I do not own Code Geass

ALSO I have made a remarkable discovery. The episode "Bloodstained Euphy" spells Euphy with a Y so this is how it will be spelt from here on out.

This chapter's kinda short (only about half as long as the last one) but the next one will probably be SUPER LONG because I've got something that will either make you stop reading or only want more.

* * *

"So, where will you two go after this?" Kallen asked as the three of them rode back down the dirt road to bring her back to her hotel. Lelouch was, once again, driving the cart.

CC shrugged. "Right now out main concern is getting as far away from Area 11 as we possibly can without crossing into other Britannian territory. There are too many people who could potentially recognize us. When you've been around as long as I have, you learn to avoid familiar faces.

For a moment, Kallen was silent. Then, curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't help but ask, "This new Zero - do I know him? Was he one of the Black Knights?"

Lelouch thought a moment. "Sot of. And you do know him - or her."

"But I assume you wouldn't tell me either way," Kallen said harshly as she leaned back against the side of the cart."And what's with that paper bird?"

CC glanced at the origami crane that Lelouch had fashioned earlier that day.

"It reminds me of people who were dear to me - people I've since lost," Lelouch replied.

* * *

Suzaku sat in the chair that faced the exact opposite of Nunnally. He was dressed as Zero - something that had become the norm for him.

"Zero, do you believe in wishing on stars?" Nunnally asked him as she filled his tea cup.

"I'm afraid not, your majesty. Not in a very long time," Suzaku replied sadly.

"Unfortunately, I can't help but agree with you," the princess replied, much to the knight's surprise. "However, I don't believe that wishing upon stars is completely useless. I believe that wishes, as well as dreams, go to a very special place, where they wait for you until you die."

"Like heaven?" Suzaku asked. Until Euphy had died, he never really gave much thought about whether or not heaven existed. But now, he knew is must, because Euphy deserved a place to rest in peace after she died.

"Maybe,' Nunnally said. "But somehow different. In this place, there are no gods or angels, but everyone is equal. There's no war or fighting, and everyone is kind to one another. No one dies there, or grows old. Everything is peaceful. and this place; this is the place where Euphy is."

Suzaku gasped. Did Nunnally truly believe that? But, Suzaku wasn't supposed to know Euphy, he remembered. He was supposed to be the new Zero. "By 'Euphy' do you mean he late princess Euphemia li Britannia?"

"No," Nunnally said, almost defensively. "I mean Euphemia Lamperouge, who, like my brother Lelouch, renounced all rights to the crown. She died, however, before this was formally announced."

Suzaku's eyebrows creased. He had never heard this before. "You're sure about that?"

Nunnally nodded. "She told me about her plan the last time I saw her, at a school festivel. She wanted Lelouch and me and her to be able to go back to the way we were as children, and she knew she'd never be able to have that as long as she was still a princess. And also, there was a boy who she loved very much, but he was Japanese. Although he was in the Britannian army, and eventually became her personal knight. So, for these reasons, she gave up all the things that should have mattered to her, but didn't."

Suzaku could feel his eyes sting. _No, that can't be true! Euphy wouldn't do that just for me . . . Even with Nunnally and Lelouch as well, she'd never give up on Cornelia like that. Would she?_

* * *

"What are we going to do?" one of the many scientists currently on duty at the Holy Britannian Empire's Specialized Research Unit - the HBESRU for short - said frantically. "This entire porject was known only to Charles and Marianne, and they're both dead!"

"This is the biggest royal scandal in history!" another replied. "I say we kill her and be done."

"But Charles said -" a third began.

"He was only acting on Lady Marianne's request!" the second interrupted.

"Either way, this does not fall under our jurisdiction to make a decision on," the lead scientist - Edmond van Dogh - snapped. "We have no other choice - we must tell Empress Cornelia of what's happened and let her choose the fate of this operation."

"She'll kill us!" the first scientist cried.

"If that is true, then so be it," van Dogh said. "And on this subject, there is no more to be said."

And with that, the head of the HBESRU left the room.

"Think of the field day the press'll have with this," one of the researchers said as the rest of the staff followed out the door. Explaining this . . . _project_ was not going to be easy.


	4. Pressing Questions

I do not own Code Geass

This chapter will either make you hate me, or love me, depending on where you stand. ALSO - Reviews would be REALLY REALLY nice. And I hate to put this out there, but everyone who reviews me I always check out their page and look through their stories, so a review here could earn you multiple reviews with yours . . . think about it xD

And I didn't realize anon reviews were switched off - they are now accepted

* * *

"WHAT?" Cornelia roared. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could this be? How could no one have told her? After all this time, no one had thought to tell her?

"E-empress p-p-please be rational ab-b-bout th-this," a man from the research unit stuttered. His name was Micheal van Dogh, son of Edmond van Dogh, and had only been working at the HBESRU for a few months. It figured they would send him to tell the Empress the news, he was about to get torn to pieces by her!

"WHY WAS I NOT ALERTED OF THIS EARLIER?" Cornelia practically screamed.

"W-we w-were d-demand-ded-d not-t t-t-to t-t-tell an-an-anyone," Micheal insisted. He was actually shaking with fear. "W-well-ll I w-wasn't-t, I d-didn't w-work their-r yet-t-t bu-"

"WHO DEMANDED SUCH AN ORDER?"

"Ch-ch-charles z-z-z-z-z-zi B-b-brit-t-t-t-t-tannia-a!"

"MY FATHER?"

"Y-yes m-m-miss," Micheal said, silently praying to God that he would live to see another day. He was too young . . .

"Why would my father order such a thing . . .?" Cornelia muttered, mostly to herself. She turned away from Micheal - who sighed in relief - and began to pace. "Well, I suppose it makes sense not to tell anyone, but why do it at all? Why not get rid of . . . No, no that's awful, but he _would_ do it normally . . . It must have been someone else who convinced him, but if not me than who? . . . No! No, not convinced, what if . . . Lelouch wouldn't have possibly, and he was the one that . . . No, maybe not . . . But . . . No! Why on Earth? None of it makes any sense! Would Schnizel have known? But, he would have . . . No, no he . . . DAMN IT ALL!"

Micheal jumped at the Empress's scream. "M-my lady?"

"None of it makes any sense!" she shouted. "What else do you know?"

"N-nothing my lady I swear," Micheal said. "I just started working at the research center a little while ago. B-but my father, he's been there the whole time, he knows much more than I-"

"Take me to him," Cornelia demanded. "_Now."_

* * *

"Lelouch, will I see you again?" Kallen asked as she faced the man she had once called her hero for the last time. They were outside the hotel she was staying at, and night was finally beginning to fall.

"It's unlikely," he told her. "But not impossible."

She offered out her hand, and grinned a little in spite of herself. "Well, then I guess I'll be seeing you soon. You tend to make the impossible happen in speedy time, _Zero."_

Lelouch was a bit startled that she had called him by his old name, but quickly shook it off and grasped her hand. "I guess then, until next time, Q1."

The side of her mouth twitched a little, but this time she held back her smile. She shook hands with CC as well, then turned and walked into her hotel. When she was safe inside, Lelouch started moving again.

"She called you 'Zero'," CC said.

"So? She's always called me that," Lelouch replied.

"No, she called _you_ 'Lelouch', she called the man she saw as her hero and savior 'Zero'. What does that tell you about how she's changed since we found her at the river a few hours ago?" CC asked.

"She's starting to see me the way she did before," Lelouch concluded. "Before she thought I betrayed the Black Knights."

"They were all convinced you had used your geass on them to make them sign up for you group," CC told him. "You could have just proven that you hadn't. It would have saved a lot of issues you came across later from happening, you know."

"How exactly was I supposed to demonstrate that I hadn't?" Lelouch asked. "Tell them I could only use it on a person once and then use it on someone? They'd say I was lying and kill me anyway. The way things turned out was the best possible outcome, thanks to Rolo."

"What happened to his body?" CC wondered aloud.

"I buried him a little off from where he died," Lelouch told her. "As far as everyone else knew, Rolo Lamperouge wasn't even a real person, he was just a made up brother for me, right? No one would go looking, and the kid didn't have anyone else."

"Was what you told him true? About you trying to kill him?"

Lelouch smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. All I could see him as was someone trying to fill Nunnally's place, and I hated him for it. I didn't realize how wrong I was until it was too late."

"Everything ends up like that," CC said. "You didn't realize you loved Shirley until she was murdered, you didn't realize how much you really cared for your sister Euphy until you had to kill her, you didn't realize how much you needed me until I lied and told you I was going back to Mao . . . Everything you have you take for granted, do you know that?"

"Not everything," Lelouch insisted. "And the things I do take for granted . . . Well, isn't it human nature to be oblivious to the best things around you?"

CC layed back on the hay stack. "I dunno. Maybe . . . I haven't been human for a long time . . ."

Lelouch said nothing. He was just reminded of how much he truly wanted CC to be able to die. Not because he wished her dead, but because he knew that was what she wanted, and what would make her happy. And CC was the only person he had left, so therefore, he would have to die with her, or he would be completely alone. Not that that had ever mattered before, but now . . . Something was different. He had already lost so many people, and immortality just seemed so . . . Miserable.

CC yawned. "Could we please stop somewhere for the night? I'm so tired I could . . . fall asleep . . . here . . . right . . ."

But she never finished her thought, because she was already asleep. Lelouch chuckled a bit and simply shook his head. He wasn't that tired, so he decided to continue to carry on throughout the night, lost deep in his own thoughts as he rode.

* * *

"Princess Nunnally! Princess Nunnally!"

The cries of reporters never stopped at these press conferences. _Just one moment of silence,_ Suzaku thought. _That would be golden._

"Yes?" Nunnally pointed to one of the loudest reporters, who stood in the third row back from the front. He had dark red hair and piercing gray eyes. Not only was his voice loud, but his clothing stood out more than everyone else as well. His jacket was bright green, with sparkling orange buttons, and his pants were matching plaid. Everyone around him was clearly intimidated.

"Is it true that Empress Cornelia has planned a trip to come and visit us all here in Area 11?" the man asked. "And that she will be bringing with her a suspicious male partner?"

"Yes to the first part, no to the second," Nunnally replied, clearly becoming just a bit annoyed with all the dumb scandal questions.

"So you are saying that Empress Cornelia is _not _involved in a sexual relationship with a man?" the reporter asked.

"Not that I know of," Nunnally told him.

"What about with a woman?"

"Next!" Nunnally pointed to a female reported in the first row, leaving shiny buttons to curse under his breath and stalk out.

"I have a question for Zero!" the woman said. Suzaku's head snapped up. No one ever asked _him_ questions, he was just the security. "Zero, who are you really? Under that mask! It's the question everyone wants to know - _are__ you_ the original Zero?"

Suzaku looked at Nunnally for assistance. She merely shrugged and gestured for him to step up to the microphone. He did so. "Well . . . uh, who I am doesn't matter, only who I serve."

He stepped back satisfied that that was an answer Lelouch would have given, and believable enough.

"Why won't you give us a straight answer?" a different reporter called. "You're fighting for our side now, you don't need to hide your face!"

"Do you hide behind a mask because of emotional scaring?" another called.

"Is your face horribly mutilated?"

"What's the point of the mask when you're protecting the princess?"

"You're more recognizable in a crowd this way, wouldn't it be safer to go without it?"

"Zero, how long do you plan on staying in the post?"

"Will you ever go back to terrorism?"

"Are you still in contact with any of the Black Knights?"

"Was it by your request that they be cleared of all charges?"

"Zero, is it true that you killed Princess Euphemia in cold blood?"

"Has Princess Nunnally seen the face behind the mask?"

"Zero, are you currently involved in a sexual relationship with anyone?"

"Has this person seen your face?"

"Where did you get your mask from?"

"When did you decide to switch sides?"

"What made you stop your terrorism?"

"Some people are saying you're only staging as a Britannian Knight to get closer to the Royal Family and kill off more of them, do you have a comment on this?"

"Zero do you have any family?"

"Does ANYONE know what you look like?"

"How old are you, Zero?"

"Do you have any children?"

"Will you EVER take off your mask?"

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

"Is it true you were bitten by a radio active spider and can now fly?" - Shiny buttons had reentered the room.

"Are you in love with Princess Nunnally?"

"Your voice seems to have changed since your last interview!"

"How can we tell you're the real Zero?"

"There are rumors that the real Zero WAS indeed killed, and you are nothing more than an imposter, what do you have to say on this?"

The questions continued to roll out, and each one seemed even more ridiculous than the last. Suzaku attempted to answer a few, but he would always get cut off by another reporter before he got the chance. He couldn't take it anymore, he could hardly hear himself think. Why did these people care so much anyway? It's not like they knew him, it shouldn't matter to them if he lived or died, let alone what brand of shoes he was wearing!

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" he screamed. All of the reporters became deadly silent. _Finally,_ he couldn't help but think. But, realizing that he had acted irrationally and impulsively, he cleared his throat and spoke gently into the microphone - "no further comments at this time."

He returned to his place beside Nunnally, and allowed her to retake her place at the microphone. "This concludes today's conference."

Together, the two of them exited off the back staircase of the stage and back into the courtyard, where they quickly hurried to get back into the castle and up the stairs before any reporters could chase after them (it had happened twice already that month).

"I apologize for my misconduct, your highness," Suzaku told Nunnally. "It was wrong of me to speak out in such a harsh manner."

Nunnally giggled. "Are you kidding? I've been waiting for someone to do that forever! I've just always been too shy."

"So you're not . . . mad?" Suzaku asked. "I probably just really embarrassed you."

"Not at all that was funny," Nunnally assured him. "Feel free to do it again any time."

Suzaku smiled although his face was concealed behind his mask. Because for the first time in a long while, his smile was genuine. He wasn't smiling because there were people around who he had to make think he was happy, or because he was trying to comfort someone. That was the one good thing about being Zero, no more fake expressions. But no, now . . . Now, his smile was real, and no one could even see it.

* * *

Cornelia looked down at that face. The porcelain white skin she had known so well . . . "So all this time, Lady Marianne was . . . Alive."

"Yes, ma'am," van Dogh said. "She, like your brother and father, possessed a power known as 'geass'. And let her soul leave her body upon being shot to save her life."

"And it was she who . . . Asked my father for this to be done?" Cornelia asked, choking up slightly. How could something this big have gone right under her nose?

"Yes," Edmond said.

"He wasn't under the influence of Lelouch after all . . ." Cornelia muttered to herself. Then, louder, she asked, "so what happens next is up to me?"

"Well, initially the decision was to be left to Schnizel if anything were to come of the Emperor and Empress, because Charles felt that he would make the correct choice on the matter, _however_ since you were next in line after your late elder brother, we have no choice but to let you chose, no matter how _unwise_ the outcome may be," van Dogh said.

Cornelia nodded. "Well, I think my answer is clear. And although I know this probably isn't the best choice, I hereby issue the order to take her off the medication that is keeping her comatose. Let her wake up, and _I _and I alone, shall explain to her everything that's happened in the past year and a half, this whole time everyone's thought she was dead. I will also find away to cover up everything that's happened, and make it appear that Princess Euphemia li Britannia is indeed dead."

Cornelia looked down at her sister one final time, stoked her hair away from her face, and walked out the door, calling after her, "when she's awoken and dressed, have someone bring her to my room. And if you wish to keep your head, you will not tell her anything. Not yet."

* * *

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

What do you think? Review PLEASE.

~Kurai Kyofu


	5. Good Morning

I do not own Code Geass

So . . . here comes the fifth chapter

And you know what I haven't gotten yet? A review. Not a single little review. All I need is one little "I'm reading your story". Or even if you just wanna tell me how much this sucks. IF YOU WANT TO CORRECT MY SPELLING GODDAMNIT. I just need some kind of feedback to know if it's good or what I should fix or anything like that. I hate it when authors beg for reviews but . . . Please? Just a little tiny review? Purty please?

* * *

The next morning, CC awoke to the sound of a screaming baby.

"Lelouch," she groaned and turned over onto her side from her stomach. "Whatever you did, fix it!"

"I didn't do anything!" Lelouch cried. She peaked one eye open to see that their cart had stopped moving, and Lelouch was over on the side of the road holding a beat red little baby.

"I don't think I should asked," CC said as she sat herself up. "But then at the same time, I don't think I've ever been so curious."

"There was a baby carriage by itself on the side of the road," Lelouch explained. "I just wanted to walk over to see what was going on, and somehow ended up like this!"

CC had never seen Lelouch look so . . . _scared_. Here was the man who had openly accepted death, apposed the worlds greatest military force with no more than a few terrorists to fight for him, and defeated two of the most powerful geass users on the planet - afraid of a tiny little baby. "You're doing that wrong."

She climbed down and walked over to him. He was holding the baby about a foot out by it's armpits. CC grabbed the squirming child and tucked him into the blanket that Lelouch had clearly attempted to wrap him in, and hold him to her chest with one hand supporting his back and the other his butt. Slowly and gently, she began to sway back and forth, bouncing slightly.

"How the hell do you know how to do that?" Lelouch asked her, clearly amazed. Lelouch was good at thinking, but when it came to social interactions between humans of any kind, he was somewhat of a failure. Battle strategies he could handle; babies . . . not so much.

"I once worked for a family that had a small baby girl," CC said. "It was my job to care for her. Crystal . . . She was so sweet. She's long dead now, though . . . The thing about babies is; they naturally posses the power I needed geass to have; everyone loves them."

Lelouch shrugged. "I don't know that I do. To be quiet honest; they scare me a bit."

"What about when Nunnally was a baby?" CC asked.

"I don't really remember," Lelouch replied. "I was four. But that doesn't matter now; I think we should focus on the fact that we have a baby here and a mother is no where in sight."

"Who would just leave their child out here?" CC asked.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Lelouch said, sounding worried. Images of a dead mother holding her dead baby flashed through his mind, memories from back when he and Suzaku had had to escape the war as children with Nunnally.

"Well, where's the nearest town?" CC asked. "Maybe the mother's a drunk or something and just forgot him out here."

Lelouch thought a moment. The easiest solution to their problem would be to simply leave the child where they found it; someone would come looking eventually, right? Why wasn't that what he had done in the first place? Just left the carriage by the road alone? But then again . . . If they just put the baby back and left, it could die. What if his mother really was dead, and no one came to find him? The poor thing would freeze or starve to death before anyone else took the time to stop and check for all Lelouch knew. "There's a town about two minutes up the road, we could go to a police station there and just drop the baby off outside or something. That way, no one would see us and the baby would definitely be found."

CC nodded. "Alright. I'll take him onto the cart with me."

"Is there any way to identify him? Maybe a key chain in the carriage?" Lelouch asked. He and CC quickly searched, but found nothing.

"Alright, well I'm sure the police will figure something out, and if not . . . Well, it's not really our problem, right?" CC asked.

Lelouch nodded. "Right."

They got back onto the cart and began to ride again. When they reached the town, CC quickly jumped off with the baby, placed him back in the carriage and left him outside the police office. It was the very early hours of the morning, and no one was around to see her do it. Just as she was walking away to return to Lelouch, she bent down next to the carriage and whispered very softly so that no one else would hear, "good luck little baby" then turned around and hurried back to the cart.

"I've been thinking," Lelouch said.

"This should be good."

"I once promised that I would obliterate Britannia," Lelouch continued as if she hadn't said anything. "But Britannia still exists."

"Don't tell me you're thinking of going back into the take-over-the-world business," CC said, clearly annoyed. "Because you can count me out."

"No," Lelouch said, a bit surprised that she had assumed such a thing. He hadn't been going that way at all. "I meant that I had been meaning to rename the country once I took over, but it completely slipped my mind, and now it's too late."

CC giggled a little. "Are you serious? That's been bothering you?"

"A little," Lelouch admitted. "Of course, I'm still considering showing up back in Area 11 someday if we can't find a way to become mortal and playing out the villain again. I'll admit, I miss it."

"It's funny," CC said. "You're possibly the world's greatest hero, but you like to pretend you're the villain. You died for world peace, and you're still trying to come across as the bad guy. And you know what? I know why."

"Oh do you?" Lelouch asked. "Why then?"

"Because you're afraid."

Lelouch suddenly became very tense.

"Afraid of rejection. You're so terrified that people won't like you, that you try to make people not like you right from the start so that they never get the chance to hurt you, isn't that right? You don't want to be seen as weak or dependent so you shut out all other people and make them hate you, just so you won't have to deal with them. It's what I'd like to call a severe case of antisocial disorder," CC said.

"You're starting to sound like Mao," Lelouch said in a frail attempt to change the subject. But, as always, his voice remained calm and emotionless. He couldn't let her know that everything she had just said was probably true, that would ruin the whole basis of the idea.

* * *

"Hello, Euphy," Cornelia greeted her sister when she entered the Empress's room. She was pretending that nothing had happened; it would be best to slowly introduce Euphemia to the idea that she had been asleep for a year and a half.

"Cornelia, why are we here?" Euphy asked. "This is the palace in Britannia, isn't it? Why are we here?"

"You were hurt badly," Cornelia told her. "So we sent you back to the home land for special care."

"Oh . . ." Euphy appeared lost in a deep thought. "So . . . how long was I asleep for?"

Cornelia huffed. That was the exact question she had been praying would go unasked. For now, at least. "Honestly, Euphy? You've been out for a very long time."

Euphy's head popped up. "_How_ long?"

"A little more than a year," Cornelia admitted. "And much has happened since then."

Euphemia grasped the dressed next to her for support. _I've been asleep an entire year? How? What happened . . . I remember being at the Special Zone and then- No! No, I didn't! Unless that's why they put me in a coma, so that they could write me off as dead and I wouldn't hurt anyone else . . ._

"Euphemia, is something wrong?" Cornelia asked her younger sister.

"Tell me I didn't," Euphy whispered. "Tell me I didn't kill all those people . . ."

Cornelia shut her eyes. Van Dogh had warned her that they had used a special geass removal system to wipe the geass from Euphy, but after this process, it was likely that she'd regain all memories of what she had done while under the influence of the geass. "Yes, Euphy . . . But it wasn't your fault. It was Zero. He made you do it. You'll be glad to learn that he's since been killed-"

"Lelouch is dead?" Euphy exclaimed. Hot tears began to pour down her face immediately. "No! No, he can't be . . . Lelouch can't be . . ."

"Euphy," Cornelia said. "You _knew? _All along you knew who Zero was and you didn't tell me?"

Euphemia looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Sister. I was just trying to protect my brother . . . That's all. And - what he did to me, whatever it was . . . He didn't do it on purpose."

"What?" Cornelia asked. _She_ was supposed to be the one telling Euphy everything, but it was starting to look like it was going to be the other way around.

"He was trying to explain to me that he could control people to do anything," Euphy said. "He was making a joke and said something about making me kill the Japanese if he wanted, and then . . . But he tried to stop it. As I fought it he yelled at me to stop. To forget the command he had given me, but, it didn't work and then I . . . I . . ."

"An accident?" Cornelia muttered to herself. "But he said . . ."

"What else has happened?" Euphemia asked. "Besides Lelouch . . . _dying._ What else have I missed?"

"An entire world war," Cornelia told her sister. "But I'm sure you'll learn about that soon enough. You've really missed so much . . . Father is dead as well, and Schnizel. I'm the new ruler of Britannia, and Nunnally has taken over as viceroy of Area 11. She's also regained her sight, believe it or not. There's also a man posing as Zero enlisted as her personal knight, whoever he was, it was he who killed Lelouch and stole his identity, although as far as the common people know, it's been the same Zero the entire time."

"Nunnally can see?" Euphy asked, a small smile creeping across her face. "That's wonderful! I'm very sorry to hear about Father and Schnizel though . . ."

Actually, that was a lie. Euphemia, much like Lelouch, didn't really care much for her cold-hearted father, and the fact that he was dead didn't really bother her. She was rather indifferent about it. Schnizel's death did sting a little, but then again, her older brother had been almost as cold as Charles had been.

"Let's sit," Cornelia suggested. "And I'll fill you in on everything that's happened . . . At least, what I know anyway."

She had a servant bring them some tea, and the two sisters sat down by Cornelia's fireplace as if nothing had changed from nearly two years ago. That they were still just Euphy and Cornelia, two sisters that loved each other.

But then, Cornelia began to talk. And she didn't stop talking until she was done. She told Euphy of all the 'horrible' things Lelouch had done, but Euphy couldn't help but see through it. She knew that whatever Lelouch was doing, he was most likely doing for Nunnally. And when she got to the part about Lelouch being murdered by a fake Zero, Euphy assumed that Lelouch had planned it himself for a moment. It was such big theatrics for an assassination, and it had the name of the ex-prince written all over it. He would have done it too - only Lelouch would plan out his own death. But then, Euphy caught herself. Lelouch wouldn't go through all that trouble just to die, so Cornelia must have been right. Lelouch must have just been unlucky.

"So . . . what do I do now?" Euphy asked when Cornelia had finished talking. "I mean, as far as everyone knows, I'm dead. I can't very well just show up alive, that would ruin our families name. All kinds of rumors would start, and-"

"That is why you will now be known as Euphemia Lamperouge," Cornelia interrupted. "If I remember correctly, that _is_ what you intended to change your name to. You'll no longer be considered a princess of Britannia, and you aren't to tell anyone of your true identity outside of the people who will already know."

"Stealing ideas from Lelouch, Sister?" Euphemia asked with a small grin, one that Cornelia did not return.

"Where do you wish to go," the elder sister asked. "You cannot remain here, it's too risky."

Euphemia grinned. "Well that's a no-brainer, I'd like to return to Area 11, to be with Suzaku, of course!"

Cornelia sighed sadly. She had forgotten that part. "Euphy . . . There's one last thing I need to tell you about Suzaku . . . If you go back to Area 11, he won't be there . . ."

"And why not?" Euphemia asked. "Did he move? Is he here in Britannia?"

Cornelia shook her head sadly and told Euphy the truth about her love. Euphemia's teacup suddenly weighed a million pounds, and it slipped from her hand. She was suddenly only an inch tall, and everything else was gigantic. And, suddenly, the walls of the room began to move in. Closer and closer. Euphy couldn't take it another minutes. She ran from her sister's room and down the hall, and she kept running until she reached one of the few bathrooms in the palace that was not connected to anyone's bedroom and she ran inside and locked the door. She turned the cold water tap as high as it would go and shoved her head under it. But no matter how much she froze her brain, those two words continued to rattle around inside.

_"He's dead."_


	6. Warm and Cold

I do not own Code Geass

ALSO - I got my first review, and I literally did a happy dance. GraveDigger123 has made my day.

And probably my brother's because he's been obsessed with Grave Digger since he was about three.

* * *

Warm. That was the only word Euphy could think of to describe Suzaku's smell. Breathing in the knights' uniform he had once worn brought back pleasant memories of the day when they first met, when he treated her like a princess before he even knew that she was one. The smell of his clothes, she had noticed, was the same way that a cozy home might smell. Something close to cinnamon, but also a lot like Christmas cookies and homemade breakfasts in bed. It reminded her of the nights when she and Cornelia and Lelouch and Nunnally would stay up late gazing up at the stars, and trying to find patterns. It was a smell that she loved.

But that's all that was left now; the smell of his outfit. There was no body left to wear it, so Cornelia had given it to Euphy in an attempt to make her sister feel a little better, and perhaps sway her from the decision to return to Area 11. But Euphy's mind had been made up.

So, as she sat there with the uniform bundled up in a ball and pulled against her nose, looking out the window of the plane she was riding in, she couldn't help but think of what would meet her when she arrived back in _Japan._

Nunnally had been informed of Euphy's situation, and had told Cornelia that Euphy would live at the palace with her, but she promised no one would even know about it, let alone who Euphy truly was. Cornelia was skeptical, but Euphy convinced her to let her go anyway. Despite her sadness, Euphy was actually very much looking forward to letting her sister see her for the first time in so many years. And for seeing her sister's eyes as well. Nunnally had never deserved to go blind, but she had anyway, and it wasn't fair.

But seeing Nunnally was not Euphy's main motivation for returning to Japan. She needed proof, proof that Suzaku was really dead. After all, hadn't _she_ been dead just a week ago? As far as everyone knew. All Euphy needed was to see his grave. To know that Suzaku was in the ground would be enough for her. And the same thing went for Lelouch, who had also been buried there.

Since learning the news of all the death that had happened, Euphy hadn't cried again at all. Not a single tear was shed, no matter how much she thought about it. Normally, Euphy would assume that meant she had accepted it, however, she was smart enough to know the difference now. When Lady Marianne had died when Euphy was a child, Euphy hadn't cried at all until the funeral, or even felt very sad. But when the day came to put the woman who had been like a second mother to her in the ground, Euphy sobbed and sobbed. She guessed something similar would happen with Suzaku, the man she loved, and Lelouch, her older brother. They had been the two most important men in her life, and in a way, her two best friends. She would give anything to have them back. Because if she could just see them, feel there pulse one last time, she knew that after that she would always feel so . . .

Warm.

* * *

"Britannia is reconstructing nicely," CC commented as she skimmed over yesterday's paper, which she had found in a trash can right outside the Pizza Hut they had stopped at today.

"Yes, but I trust Cornelia to rebuild the right way," Lelouch said. "Even though there's now no hope for the Japanese liberation, not with Cornelia leading the military."

"You could take her," CC said. "I'm just saying."

"I know I could, and I have before. Old news. What else is going on?"

"'Knight of Zero Screams at Press During Press Conference'," CC read.

Lelouch sighed and hung his head. "Maybe Suzaku_ wasn't_ the greatest choice for my successor. Anything else?"

"The competition has already started to see who will become ruler after Cornelia," CC told him.

Lelouch clenched his teeth. "Of course."

"Why do you hate the royal family so much? I mean, you've never seemed to have a particular problem with Cornelia, and I know you loved Euphy and Nunnally," CC said. "So what's your issue?"

"Just because you are born into a family that was at one time successful, doesn't give you the birthright to be better than other people. The most important thing to almost any member of my family is to someday take over the thrown, and it's disgusting. Most of them are too stupid to lead a country, but either way it wouldn't matter, because they were _born_ with the capability to rule an entire nation," Lelouch said the last sentence with heavy sarcasm.

"So when you took the thrown of Britannia-"

"It wasn't because I was born to, it was because I used my own brain and power to take over the previous ruler. _That_ is why I was able to lead Britannia. That and that alone," Lelouch told her.

"So you believe in democracy?" CC asked.

Lelouch shrugged. "In some ways, yes, I believe that democracy is a very efficient way to run certain aspects of government."

"_Certain aspects,"_ CC repeated. "And I'm sure that you have an entirely original plan of government in that head of yours, that includes the strongest points of any legal system and combines them into a super-government, right?"

Lelouch was silent, which gave CC her answer. _Yes. Yes he did._

* * *

__Cornelia gazed out the window of her bedroom, wondering how much longer it would be before she finally received the phone call from Nunnally that Euphy had arrived, safe and sound. After everything her younger sister had done, Cornelia wasn't wrong to worry that anyone who recognized the Massacre Princess would surely take action. What she did was horrid, even most Britannian's thought so.

"Miss, maybe you should just go do something else to take your mind off it," Gilford suggested. He was standing by the door, ready to protect his Empress at all costs.

"What if I miss the call?" Cornelia asked, sounding a little paranoid.

"Cornelia, I doubt that will happen."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because Pri-_Euphemia's_ flight left _five minutes ago,"_ Gilford told her.

Cornelia's eyes shot to the clock on the wall. Gilford was right. Silently curing under her breath, Cornelia rose to her feet and nodded. "You're right. I need a distraction. Let's go take a walk through Marianne's garden . . . That always calms me down."

"Yes, my lady," Gilford said, and he followed her out of the room.

* * *

"Princess Nunnally, who will you be waiting for at the airport?" Zero asked.

Nunnally grinned. "Just an old friend. I need to get her myself because her being here is a secret."

"So wouldn't you going to get her make it a little obvious?"

Nunnally shook her head. "You've got it wrong, I won't be going into the airport, I'm just going to wait in the car to make sure she gets here all right. I'll send in someone to get her."

"Why won't you let me accompany you?" Zero asked, sounding very worried. He had promised Lelouch to keep Nunnally safe, he couldn't go back on that now.

"Oh, it's just a small errand, and I owe you some time off. Spend the day however you'd like, Zero. Please . . . You never do anything for yourself," Nunnally told him. This answer was partially true. She really _did_ want to give Suzaku the day off, but at the same time, there was no way she could let him see _Euphy._ She knew that would tear him apart inside, and Euphy's fate wasn't even determined yet. It was very possible that she wouldn't be able to stay in Area 11 for very long, or worse, she could be assassinated while she was here. But, then again, Euphemia could be assassinated anywhere she went, after what she had done to the Japanese. Nowhere was safe, and that's why her life was being kept a secret.

_Euphemia Lamperouge, _Nunnally thought. _Will anyone suspect? Lelouch and I ended up being alright, and everyone still thought we were dead. I could talk to Milly and ask her to pull some strings, I'm sure she'd understand. Euphy could finish her last year of school, and then maybe get a job. Live a somewhat normal life, and hopefully no one will notice it's her. No one noticed Lelouch or me. _

_But, then again, Lelouch and I hadn't really made our public debut yet, Euphy has.  
_

_Lelouch and I were all over the papers when our mother died though, so it's not like no one knew what we looked like.  
_

_Euphy will be fine, _she decided._ I'll make sure that my big sister is safe. _

"Princess Nunnally, _please_ don't go on your own," Zero begged. "If something were to happen to you while I wasn't around . . ."

"Nothing will happen," Nunnally told him. "I'll bring Gino, okay?"

Since his planned execution, Zero had advised that Gino immediately be put back in his place as Knight of 3, and Nunnally had full trust in him. So much trust in fact, that Gino even knew who Zero really was. Because, well, Nunnally had to spill the beans to _someone,_ and she figured someone who knew Suzaku and had been his friend was best. She knew that he and Gino hadn't exactly left on great terms, but upon talking with Gino she learned that he felt as though Suzaku was still one of his best friends, even though they had battled nearly to the death twice and that Suzaku was "dead". That's when Nunnally broke down and told him. Gino wasn't actually that surprised, which came as a shock to the young viceroy.

_"Well, I had my suspicions when he requested I be reinstated,"_ _Gino has said. "And I'm glad that he's still alive."_

__Nunnally wished the world was a better place. A place where Euphy and Suzaku could both be alive, and a place where Lelouch could still live with her and be her older brother, and Lelouch and Suzaku could be friends, and Suzaku and Gino could be friends, and that there was no war and Japan was still it's own country and that everyone got along and someone else ran the country, so Nunnally wouldn't have to be "Princess Nunnally" anymore. She could just be Nunnally.

But these wishes were irrational. The world is a screwed up place. People fall in and out of love, people die, friendships end, countries fail, wars start and cause tragedy, and _someone_ had to to be the leader; always. It was the cold, hard, truth.


	7. We're All Alive

I do not own Code Geass

* * *

The truth was, Lelouch had been thinking. He had been thinking for a very long time.

The only way he or CC knew to become mortal and die would be to give their codes to someone else, however, in order to do that, they would have to give someone else the power of geass. Lelouch of course, could just command someone to take his code, because while he was now immortal, he still had the power to control people because it was _Charles's_ code he took, not CC - who had given him the geass power. So, if he simply just commanded someone to take their codes, they could die worry free.

But why do that? Why _make_ someone take on the burden that he had willingly accepted? No, this was _his_ mistake and his alone. And the same went for CC. So they would have to find another way to die.

And that was when he got an idea. The sole purpose for he and CC's existence and immortality was to _give_ people this remarkable power. So if the power was no longer needed in the world, wouldn't if make sense for the people controlling the power to go away? So if he and CC created a world where geass was no longer necessary - or at least, no one else possessed the power, they would become mortal, right? It was like a government of it's own - when Japan fell to Britannia, the Japanese government disappeared because it was no longer needed. Hopefully, geass had the same principles. So all he and CC had to do, was find every person in the world who had geass, and take it away.

_No! _he told himself. _That's too impossible. There's no way to tell who does and who does not have the power. An idea like that probably wouldn't work anyway! Think clearly, damn it . . ._

_Perhaps there is no way. CC and truly will have to live forever, and watch everyone around us die . . . No, no that can't happen. That just can't happen. What we need to do is find someone who wants immortality, and offer it to them. Yes, then that won't be forcing our burden on anyone. If we can just find someone who won't abuse this power, and who truly wants to live forever . . . But there can't possibly be a person out there who seeks immortality and _wouldn't_ abuse this power. There's just not someone in existence. Maybe if we went back to Area 11 and talked with the Black Knights . . ._

He continued to think like this; coming up with impossible ideas and then catching himself. His greatest weakness was that he didn't understand humans as well as he did battle strategy, and that was what had cause almost all of his problems in life. He would never come up with a way to beat this curse he had taken on, so perhaps, just this once, it would be better to simply give up and stop trying.

And he was about to, too, until CC looked up at him as they walked back to their cart and said, "Lelouch, I want to go back to Area 11."

* * *

_A day off,_ Suzaku thought to himself. _I haven't had one of these since I became Zero . . . I have no idea how to spend my time like this! It's not like I can just go outside, everyone would recognize me, and I'd probably be shot or something . . . And if I take _off_ the mask, I'm_ _in trouble because then people will see that I'm actually . . ._

He tried to shake the thoughts from his head. He was over thinking the entire situation. All he really needed was a hood and some blacked out sunglasses and he'd be safe and sound.

_Although it's raining,_ he thought. _But sunglasses in the rain is better than being a ghost-knight . . ._

And where to go? He could really go anywhere, and there were so many places he hadn't been to in so long. He could catch a movie, of course, he'd have no one to see it with. He could go skating, but again, he'd be alone. The beach is pointless on rainy days, and it was also a Sunday, so everything was closed!

_Oh, I've got it! _He mentally gave himself a pat on the back. _Rainy days are perfect for visiting graves. I can go lay out some flowers for Lelouch and finally clean off all that graffiti people have left on and around his stone . . . Yes, this is the only time I'd be able to anyway._

And so that's what he did. After changing into a baggy gray sweatshirt and digging up a pair of old sunglasses, he sneaked down one of the deserted corridors of the palace and outside. The graveyard wasn't far away, so despite the rain, he chose to walk.

However, he _did_ get sidetracked a few times. It had been so long since he had seen any of the things he was walking by, and he hadn't realized exactly how much he had missed it. He stopped at a hotdog stand and got himself some lunch, then he took a short detour into the pet store to look at the cats. Aurthur hadn't been found after everything that happened with Lelouch and all the craziness, and Suzaku was deeply starting to miss having a companion, so a new cat seemed like a good answer. There were many kittens at the pet store, but none of them really seemed as perfect as the stray that he and Euphy and rescued from a hurt leg all that time ago . . .

When he finally did arrive at the graveyard, it had been about an hour since he left his room.

_Princess Nunnally is probably back by now,_ he told himself. _But she _did_ give me the entire day, so . . . Maybe a little while longer wouldn't hurt._

Caring a bag of rags and cleaner, he walked over to his dead friend's grave. Many people had arrogantly written in permanent marker and spray paint all over the gravestone. Things like crossing out "Rest in Peace" and writing "rot in pieces" or "burn in hell" or a very few choice swear words. Suzaku sighed at the sight, thinking that if only these people had known the reason Lelouch had died, they wouldn't have defaced his final resting place in such a manner.

Kneeling down in the muddy grass, Suzaku began to scrub away all the graffiti on the grave, with much appreciated help from the rain. The only issue was that it prevented the cleaner from working as well as it could have, but at the same time, it helped wash out the paint, so Suzaku couldn't really complain.

What felt like hours later, he stood, satisfied with his cleaning efforts. As he made to exit the grave yard, he stopped and turned around, to take one final glance at the headstones. There was one other grave he had been thinking of visiting here . . . His own.

Almost as if he were a mindless zombie, he walked without emotion over to where he was "buried". There was really no point behind it. He knew very well that he wasn't dead, and what was the point in visiting one's own grave? But then again, there was so much he wanted to say to himself, to his _old_ self. The one that had been in love and had protected the innocent. The one that didn't question orders and that tried his hardest to fight Zero. The one that everything had been nearly peaceful for. _That_ Suzaku was the one buried. At least that's what he thought.

When he finally reached his own grave, he was surprised to find a figure slouched over it, shaking with what appeared to be violent sobs. Who would be crying for him? He had died while assisting Zero - the world's most notorious dictator - rise to power. He was sure that not even the student council had visited his grave. The only person he knew to visit regularly was Miss Cecile, who brought flowers every Tuesday, with tears in her eyes. Crying for the boy she had come to think of as a friend, and even began to mother a bit.

So who was this? Definitely not Cecile, although positively female. She had a small frame, maybe a teenager. Milly maybe? Nina? No . . . that wasn't right. Smaller than Milly, taller than Nina . . . But who? Suzaku decided that the only way to find out would be to get closer. As he did, he began to hear the girl's quiet muttering to herself, hardly audible over the pouring rain. "No, no, no . . . It can't be, it can't be . . . no, no, no . . ."

Suzaku took one more step, and froze. Barely visible from under the dark green, thick, wool hat the girl was wearing, was just the slightest amount of visible light pink hair. Her skin was white as paper, and when she turned her head to see who was standing beside her, her face was . . .

"Impossible!" Suzaku exclaimed.

The girl rubbed her eyes. "W-who are you? Why are you here?"

He stumbled back a step. She even had the same voice as his Euphy. But she was dead! This was wrong!

"Who are you?" she repeated. "Sh-show your face! Are you a grave burglar?"

Suzaku shook his head once, not sure if he were answering her question or if he was simply in shock, and then turned and ran off.

Euphy looked back down at the gravestone beneath her. It was true. Everything Cornelia said . . .

"Come on," the voice of a familiar princess said softly. "There's nothing but sad memories here. Let's go home and get you dried off."

"Let's hope that weird guy didn't recognize you . . ." Gino muttered softly. Euphy and Nunnally pretended not to hear.

Euphy nodded and followed her sister and Gino as they made to leave the graveyard. The strange man who had been approaching Euphy didn't even notice that they were there too, but it's not like it mattered. It was probably just some homeless guy getting ready to ask for money . . . All that really mattered was the fact that they _were_ dead. And even now that she had been crying, she still didn't fully believe it. Lelouch couldn't be dead, he simply couldn't have been assassinated, he was too brilliant to let that happen. Hadn't anyone else questioned it? And Suzaku . . . Suzaku couldn't be dead either. He wouldn't let that happen, he wouldn't leave her!

But, then again, she had already left him. How could Euphy possibly know that Suzaku didn't hate her for dying? A little part of her resented him for leaving her, so how could she possibly . . . No, no that wouldn't be like Suzaku. Suzaku would have blamed himself for Euphy's death, and grown to hate himself even more than he already did. Thinking of this made more hot tears spill down Euphy's face. Suzaku was such a wonderful person, it wasn't fair that he had to hate himself. It wasn't right. He should have realized back when he was alive that he was a wonderful person who deserved to be loved by everyone.

And even now, she still felt like the force of the situation hadn't hit her yet. She had, after all, cried, right? So shouldn't she feel at least a little better? But she didn't. Not at all. She felt the exact same way she had on the plane ride, that utterly stupid sense of doubt over the situation. It wasn't fair of her heart to make her think these things, it just made it hurt even more.

"Euphy, as much as I'd love for you to stay here," Nunnally began. "It seems like it's just going to be too painful for you. Perhaps I should call-"

"No!" Euphy exclaimed, looking up into the large bright eyes of her younger sister. "No, Nunna . . . I want to stay here. This is where I belong right now, _please."_

Nunnally looked over the elder girl with a great sense of pity. Euphy didn't deserve all of this . . . To wake up and a year and a half had passed, and almost everyone you loved is dead . . . The way that must have felt. She wished more than anything that she could tell Euphy that Suzaku was still alive. That he would be living under the same roof as she was . . .

But! If Euphy figured it out on her own . . . If she some way, _somehow_, were to run into Zero and he was to see her . . . Surely Suzaku would show himself! And then everything would be okay, or at least, somewhat better. Yes! But Nunnally couldn't get too involved. She couldn't force the two to meet, but then again, she didn't necessarily have to prevent it from happening either.

"Alright, Euphy," the viceroy said. "If you're sure, you may stay as long as you wish, I promise I won't call Cornelia."

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Lelouch asked in a state of slight shock. "CC, we can _never_ go back there."

"Sure we can," CC replied. "Things made much more sense there, after all, wouldn't you say?"

"No!" Lelouch answered. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Back in Area 11, everything made sense. Think about it; you were Lelouch Lamerouge, a secret prince of Britannia, living in hiding from your father and other siblings, and also the most successful terrorist in history. Who are you now? You don't even know, do you? We have no purpose other than finding a way to die, and that's starting to seem pretty impossible. I think that going back to Japan might just give us something to _do_ at least!"

"So simply because you're bored," Lelouch said. He actually almost laughed. "Let's be serious, there's no way that we're going back there."

CC sighed. "I think that we should. I think going back would be a good thing. Wouldn't it be fun to use your power again, Lelouch? To retake over the world, maybe under a new name or something? There's still so much more that you could fix about this planet . . . Isn't there anything left that you would like to do?"

Lelouch thought a moment. "CC, there are many things that I would still like to do. Nearly two years ago, I had to shoot and kill my sister, Euphemia, and after that happened, I had to completely reconstruct my plan for the New World. What I was going to do, was join her, and together we could slowly give Japan back to it's people. This to me, seemed like a brilliant idea, only because I knew that I would finally repay the debt that I owed Suzaku, by giving him his homeland back. Taking over Britannia would come later. So, I suppose, the one thing I regret, is that I never liberated Japan."

That sparked an idea in CC's head. "So why don't you do it? Go back, and free Japan from it's ties to Britannia. After that, I promise I'll help you find someone to kill you, and me as well. That's when it'll be it. That's when we'll die."

"You only want to die because you're bored, don't you?" Lelouch asked.

CC didn't answer. There was one thing she could tell him that she knew would make him return to Area 11. But, why did _she_ want to go back so badly? Maybe because she knew that now, with Lelouch on her side, she really was about to face her end. She was going to die soon, finally her dream would come true. So, maybe, this one last hurrah, was exactly what she was looking for. Yes, that must be it. "I think I have a little piece of information that will change your mind."

"I doubt it," Lelouch told her, beginning to lose interest in the conversation.

CC grinned a devilish grin, and lifted herself up onto the cart. Then, she leaned over the side, grabbed Lelouch by the shirt collar, pulled him close - much to his surprise and amusement - and whispered in his ear, so softly it was barely audible, _"Euphemia is alive." _

* * *

Suzaku ran from the grave yard and continued to run, faster and faster, the rain around him blurred his vision but still he ran on.

_That couldn't have possibly been Euphy,_ he thought to himself. His heart was beating so loudly that he was sure the people he ran past could hear it. _Euphy is dead, and she has been for a while. Why is my mind playing tricks on me like this? _

Then something flashed through his mind, a memory of something Nunnally had said earlier. _"Just an old friend. I need to get her myself because her being here is a secret." _

_Nunnally could very well have been talking about Euphy when she said that . . . But then again, why wouldn't she tell me? Well, because she doesn't know who I am of course! Stupid, think straight! _He felt like banging his skull into a wall. This was starting to be too much. _If she really is alive, and she's here with Nunnally, she'll be staying with us. Maybe I'll be able to run into her or something, just to be sure. But, then again, if she's staying here secretly, it's doubtable I'll be allowed to see her. Maybe if I told Nunnally that it's really me . . .  
_

_But I promised Lelouch! Ugh, why is this happening?  
_

He stopped running when he realized that he was back outside his own bedroom window. Or rather, under it. He would have to climb back up the side of the wall to get back in. He did so without realizing it, without thinking. His mind was too focused on Euphy. He had to find some way to see her again . . .


	8. Shakespeare's Next Hit

**I do not own Code Geass**

**This chapter is going to focus mainly around Suzaku and Euphy, but Lelouch and Nunnally will be thrown in too, don't worry!  
**

* * *

_Euphemia is alive._

Those were the words that Lelouch heard over and over in his head, but no matter how many times he tried to piece together the meaning, he would draw a blank. Euphy _couldn't_ be alive. It just wasn't possible. He had killed her himself, and Suzaku had watched the heart monitor flat line.

"What do you mean?" he asked CC after what seemed like an eternity (but in truth was probably no more than a minute).

"She didn't die, it was a hoax," CC told him. "Your mother knew that if Euphemia lived, she'd go through hell that she didn't deserve, and your father realized that it would be better for the time being if he just faked her death and put it off until later. Through Anya, he and your mom talked about it an decided to put Euphy in a medically induced coma, that way they wouldn't have to kill her, but they wouldn't have to deal with the bad publicity of the Massacre Princess."

Lelouch was about to say, _I don't believe it, _but then he caught himself. Actually, he _did_ believe it. "That's just like my parents. They convince themselves they care by doing petty things such as letting Euphy live, but really they're just looking out for themselves and their power. But, CC, how do you know this?"

"Your mother and I were very close," CC replied.

Lelouch wasn't quite sure why, but that made him feel very strange.

"So? Back to Britannia?" CC asked. Lelouch was silent. "Come on . . . Think about it,Lelouch . . . Your sister is still alive. This is possibly the only chance in the world to get closure on what you did to her. You could apologize for what you did; isn't that what you want? All you have to do is tell Nunnally about it and get her to-"

"No," Lelouch said. "I won't need to tell Nunnally, because she already knows, or she will soon enough. Euphemia is already back in Area 11."

"What are you talking about? How could you possibly know that?"

"Think about it, CC. Cornelia is the ruler now, meaning any big royal secrets that had previously been kept from her she'll now know. And, knowing Cornelia, the second she found out that Euphemia was alive, she would have demanded that she be taken out of her coma. As soon as that happened, they would have had to explain to Euphy everything that's happened in the time she's been asleep, including the death of her father, two brothers, and most importantly, the man she loves; Suzaku Kururugi. Once she finds this out, she'll want to fly to Japan immediately to see him, or rather; his grave. That's just the way Euphy is. Meaning, right now, Euphemia is most likely in Japan, staying with Nunnally and Suzaku (aka Zero), but has no idea that it's actually him," Lelouch said.

CC was silent for a moment, then, she asked with true concern, "ever wonder if you over think things, _just a little?" _

* * *

"So, Nunnally," Euphy said later that night as the two of them sat down for their private dinner. No one else was around except Gino, who was keeping watch at the door. "Do you have any idea who Zero really is?"

Nunnally bit her tongue. Euphy couldn't know the truth . . . "No, I have no idea. But I'm grateful to him for saving me from Lelouch."

Euphemia looked down sadly. "You know . . . This really doesn't make any sense."

"Because Lelouch was Zero?" Nunnally asked.

Euphy's eyes grew. "You knew about that?"

Nunnally nodded. "Yes, Cornelia and Schnizel told me. I honestly wasn't very shocked . . . I had suspected from the beginning. Lelouch was always getting home late, and I recognized Zero's voice from somewhere. But I didn't want to believe it, so I just put the thoughts in the back of my head."

"You know why he was doing all those things that he did, don't you, Nunnally?" Euphy asked. She was grasping onto every last piece of evidence that her elder brother might actually be the kindhearted man she knew him as.

"He said he did it so that he could create a world where I would be happy," Nunnally said. "And maybe that was true at first, but, in the end, he was ready to execute me, along with all the other Black Knights who he had once called his friends. If Zero hadn't killed him . . . Well, we wouldn't be sitting here now." _Which might not be so bad . . ._

"Will I get to meet this 'New Zero'?" Euphemia asked.

Nunnally nearly spit out her tea. "Uh . . . I just don't think that's the best idea, Euphy. I mean, no one besides Gino and I are to know that you're here, and to trust that information to someone whose face we've never even seen . . ."

"Oh . . . right. That would be kind of dumb, wouldn't it?" Euphy asked, and gave her signature fake smile. But that's all it was; a fake smile. Euphy had nearly mastered them. It wasn't hard to fake a smile, the hard part was to keep one going.

* * *

Suzaku stared at himself in the mirror. And while that sounds rather cliche, the truth was he felt like he needed to. Not because he had forgotten who he was as a person, or wanted to take a look at himself from an outsider's perspective on his life (although both those things were true), but because he had sincerely forgotten what he looked like. All day, every day, he was wearing a mask. There were no mirrors in his own bedroom, and in the bathroom in the morning it was just something he never stopped to check. It didn't matter what he looked like; no one would see him!

"I need a shave . . ." he mumbled to himself. This was somewhat new. Up until recently, Suzaku had never really needed to worry about shaving. Facial hair just wasn't something he had. Maybe this was just all part of growing up . . .

_You're still just a kid,_ he told himself. _Even though it really doesn't feel that way. I feel like an old man, but I'm not even a legal adult yet! 18-years-old and my life is over . . . It just doesn't seem right. _

But, then again, his life had felt like it had been over for years. When he and Lelouch were children, they were both put through so much that they were forced to grow up at a young age, and it seemed like they never even really got a childhood. Nunnally hadn't either, but not for the same reasons. Her childhood was taken by her father to cover up her mother's murder. Lelouch and Suzaku had to make the choice to grow up, and it was one they had made without even realizing it. The truth was, Suzaku didn't feel like an adult, but he didn't feel like a kid either. He felt as though he had drifted into some strange limbo that was in between the two. When he was at school, or with Euphy, he always felt like a kid again. However when he was in battle or at work, he was an adult. It was strange that a person could switch personalities so quickly and not even realize it.

And that was the main thing that had been troubling him. After losing Euphy, that childlike part of Suzaku that was always buried deep inside went away, as if she had taken it with her. He had been more serious than ever before, and slowly began to devolve into exactly the person he said he'd never become. For a moment, he had become his father. The stubborn, proud, cocky, and self-hating man who would fight to the death just out of boredom. He stopped trying to save people; it just wasn't as important.

But then, Lelouch gave him a responsibility so great, he had thought he was beginning to go back to his old ways (although he'd never be completely the same again). And now, after seeing Euphy alive . . . He didn't know what to feel. He knew that she was the same old Euphy she'd always been, but he had become a completely different person. There was no way she could possibly still love him, and how could he be sure that he still loved her? All he needed was to see her one last time. If he could just get a second alone to see how he felt around her . . . He'd know. And that would be all he needed.

. . . Right?

* * *

It killed Nunnally to watch this unfold. Euphemia and Suzaku's life seemed to have popped right out of an old Shakespearean romance. At first, their love had been forbidden, but somehow they slowly made it work. Then, just as the first act of the play would draw to a close; Euphemia was "murdered" by Zero. When the second act begins, Suzaku had been clearly affected by this. He begins to go mad without his love, and eventually, he ends up dead too. Then, just as the music stops playing and audience rises to leave, they both appear again, alive and well. And even in the exact same place at the exact same time! So what's the problem? Where's the tragic ending?

Well, it's hidden in the fact that the two lovebirds will never be able to know that they're standing right next to each other, and that, is the worst tragedy of all. At least, that was how Nunnally saw it.

"So, Euphy . . . Be honest with me. How have you been feeling about Suzaku?" Nunnally asked, hating herself for asking but knowing deep down she needed the truth. She felt like a monster for keeping the two apart, she at least needed some closure.

Euphy's head dropped down quickly so that Nunnally would not be able to see her face.

"Please, Euphy," Nunnally begged, subconsciously using the same tone she had as a child when she wanted something Lelouch wouldn't give her.

Euphy was silent. She had been avoiding this moment - the time when she would have to face her own feelings. It sucked. "I . . . I can't believe he's gone. And I mean that literally. There is no possible way I can find to convince myself that I'm never going to see him again, that he's actually . . ." -tears began to steam down her face, leaving sticky traces and soaking parts of her hair- "gone. I miss him, but the same way I'd miss him when he went off somewhere for work or whatever. Deep down, I just keep expecting him to walk through the door with that big goofy grin he always tries to hide and say 'I've returned, my princess' in that formal way he always did. It's pathetic . . ."

Nunnally's heart broke in that moment, sewed itself together, and then broke again. This truly was a travesty. "You're not pathetic, Euphy. Not one little bit. I still feel the same way about Brother, and I held him as he died. 'Death is something that humans find impossible to full grasp until it faces them.'"  
_Lelouch told me that at our mother's funeral . . . He was so wise, even as a child. _

Euphy used a napkin to clean her face. "You really feel that way? Even after all he did . . . You miss him?"

Nunnally nodded. "Of course! He was my big brother, and for a while, the only family I had."

Euphemia nodded, set down her napkin, and stood up. "If you'll excuse me, my lady, but I am in need of some fresh air."

Nunnally began to roll her chair out after Euphy. "Please allow me to-"

"I'd rather be alone," Euphy said kindly. "If that's alright."

Nunnally rolled back in and gave a sad smile. "Of course, Euphy. Just be careful not to leave my quarters . . . You can't be seen. There's a balcony right in my bedroom, next door over."

Euphy nodded. "Thank you."

And as she walked out the door, she meant it. But once the wooden frame was closed off behind her, she knew where she was really going; and it wasn't Nunnally's balcony. It was Zero's room.

She had to seem him, the man who had killed her brother and stolen his identity. Suzaku had been killed in battle; at least Zero had a body she could mangle. He would pay for everything; even the things that weren't his fault. And she would unmask that bloody bastard just so she could see the face of the man she knew she hated more than anything. Because when bad things happen, you need someone to blame. Even if it's just for a little while; you need someone to take your anger out on. And Euphy had been pushed off the edge of calmness and compassion. And she hadn't even noticed, but in her hand was a knife from Nunnally's dining room. She must have taken it on her way out, not realizing. Well . . . This would make her life easier.

* * *

Suzaku had just finished shaving when he heard the loud bang coming from his bedroom. He was in the bathroom; only a doorway away.

"Who is it?" he called. He slipped his shirt over his head and grabbed the mask from it's place on the counter, then placed it on his head. Before he had time to exit the bathroom and confront the intruder, the door was kicked inward from the outside.

Standing there, face red as a tomato, was exactly the person Suzaku had been waiting to see. Euphemia li Bri - No, this was Euphemia Lamperouge.

"Euphy!" Suzaku exclaimed, completely forgetting himself for a moment, then catching himself too late. _I'm Zero! I'm Zero! I'm Zero! _

"You know me?" she asked, pausing for the slightest second. Then she shook her head. "No, _no._ Everyone knows me, I'm Princess Massacre. And you . . . You killed my brother, so now I'll kill you."

Suzaku couldn't believe what he was hearing. Euphy, _his_ Euphy, was threatening someone's life? That was impossible! But at the same time . . . It wasn't. Euphy had had everything in her life that was of significance taken from her in what seemed like a second (but in truth had been a year). After all that happened, wouldn't she need some way to let that out? Someone to punish for what had happened to her? And who better than the murderer of her own big brother! Suzaku knew then what he'd have to do.

"Euphy wait . . . Hear me out," he tried.

"Save it!" she shouted. She quickly tackled him to the floor, kneeled over him, and raised her knife above his chest. "I don't need an explanation! I don't care who you are-"

"Are you sure?" Suzaku asked, quickly removing the mask from his face to protect his own life. "You don't care at all who I am?"

The knife clattered to the ground, and Euphy's knees buckled. "S-Suzaku . . ."

"Shh!" he hissed. He raised his hands, motioning for her to be quiet. "Yes, it's me."

"B-but you're . . ." Euphy raised a hand to her head. Her knees gave in, so she was now siting on him.

"Dead?" he asked. "So are you."

She shook her head. "This is a cruel dream . . ."

"It's not a dream," he told her. "I promise. Now shut the door and we can explain everything to each other." _How am I being so calm right now?__! _

Euphy did as he said, and locked the door behind her. The two of them were now completely alone in the bathroom; blocked off from the rest of the world.

"Now, let me-"

Suzaku didn't even get to finish his sentence before Euphy had slammed herself into his chest, shaking with sobs.

"Eu-Euphy," he stuttered.

"Don't ever leave me again, Suzaku," Euphy said. "Promise!"

"I promise. But you have to promise me the same thing."

Euphy looked up at him and nodded. "I-I promise. Never again. B-but how are you . . .?"

"Lelouch helped me fake my own death," Suzaku told her. "You see the truth is, I can't die right now. Lelouch used his Geass on me so that I'd always have to live. Knowing that, he chose me to be Nunnally's new knight, and ordered me to publicly kill him so that the dictatorship would end, but the countries of the world would remain united. It's kind of simple really."

"So he died for world peace?" Euphy asked, wiping away her tears. "That's just like him . . ."

"But what about you?" Suzaku asked. "I actually watched you die . . ."

Euphy shook her head. "No, you watched me fall into a medically induced coma. My heart rate was perfectly normal. I got lucky and Lelouch's bullet missed my heart by literally a quarter of a centimeter. I'm lucky he always had such bad aim . . . But the truth is, my heart rate was perfectly normal. Everything that happened was staged."

"Were you in on it?" Suzaku asked.

She shook her head. "I didn't even know what I had done until I woke up. But I remember that you . . . You lied to me, Suzaku. You told me everything went perfectly because you knew I was dying. Why?"

"I wanted you to have a reason to keep fighting, I guess," Suzaku replied. "And I didn't have the heart to tell you what you had done . . . I knew that there was no way you had done it on purpose, and even if you had . . . I'd still love you."

"But there was a moment when I almost . . . Suzaku, I almost killed you!" Euphy exclaimed. "How could you-"

"Euphy," he interrupted. "You were lying on your death bed. I wasn't exactly afraid of you."

Euphy giggled a little, and Suzaku joined in. They kept going and going until they were both crying and laughing at the same time. Finally, it stopped with a final hiccup on Euphy's part. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. "How are we going to do this?"

"We'll make it work," he promised.

She picked up her head and kissed him. It was so sudden that Suzaku didn't even think before he kissed her back. And that was when he knew how he really felt about Euphy. He still loved her. And he probably always would.


End file.
